Direction indicator



March 27, 1928.

J. D. BROWER, JR

DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed May 31, 1921 3 Sheets- Sheet 1 nun llllllllllnllllllllllll.'ullllullllllInlL INVENTOR.

JOHN D. BROWER JR.

A ITORNEYS.

March 27, 1928.

- J. D. BROWER, JR

DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed May 31, 1921 3 sheets sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN D. BROWER JR.

' .-I TTORNEYS.

March 27, 1928. 1,663,971

J. D. BROWER, JR

DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed May 51. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN 0. 500mm J/a A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 27, 19 28.

1 JOHN D. BROWER, JR., OF PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA.

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

Application filed May 31, 1921. Serial No. 473,603.

The present invention relates to improvements in direction indicating devices and its particular ob cct is to provlde a d1rect1on indicator for motor vehicles adapted'to in- 7 matically as soon as the steering gear is be-- dicate to persons approaching or following the automobile when a turn or a stop of the latter is intended to bemade. -A further object of my invention is to provide an indicator of the class described that is electrically controlled and adapted to be operated by hand as well as automatically. More particularlyitis'the object of my invention to provide an indicator which will allow the 7 driver to indicate in advance What turn he intends to make,but is at the same time so constructed, that, when the driver fails to operate the device, it will operate itself autoginningtq turn." Another object of my invention is to provide the indicator with means, by which the indicator automatically returns to its non'indicating position as soon as the steering apparatusturns to a straightahead position, without interf ering with the I manual control. Other. objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds. Y

I preferably attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a. front view of my indicating device, Figure 2 a diagrammatic view illustrating the wiring and the controls of the device, Figure 3 the same diagrammatic view illustrating a different position, Figure .4 an enlarged. sectionalview' along line 4:-4: of Figure 1, showing lny switch mechanism in detail, Figure '5 a detail perspective view of an automatic switching device shown in Figure 2, Figure 6 a modification of the arrangement shown in Figure 1, Figure 7 a side View, partly in section,.of a modified form of the switch shown in'Figure 4, and Figure 8 an end view of the switch shown in Figure 7. e Referring to thcdrawing in detail, a box 1, having two windows 2therein, is secured to the front end or the rear end of the auto- 7 mobile 01' preferably to both ends. In the box there is secured, parallel to its rear wall but separated therefrom by the insulating material 3, a, metal plate 4, parallel to which runs, some distance apart from the same, a second narrower plate 6, the two being connected by two pins 7 near their outer ends. These pins 7 serve at the same time as pivots for two indicatingarms 8 and 9. When either of these arms is raised to a horizontal position, it shows up through its window and indicates that thedriver intends to turn in the direction of the raised arm. When both arms are raised it indicates a stop and when both arms are lowered to the slanting position of the right arm in Figure 1, no signal is shown.

Each of these arms is actuated by means of two solenoids 11 and 12 and it is a particular feature of my device that either arm, *while' being raised or lowered, interrupts the current actuating it, while closing a gap inthe circuit adapted to actuateit in the opposite direction and thatit automatically locks itself in its new position by means independent of the solenoids.

The actuating means for each arm consists ofa plunger 14, the center of which ispivotally secured to the arm intermediate of its length as at 16. Either end of the arm extends partly into one of the solenoidsll and 12 and is drawn further intothe one or the other when a current is passed through the bottom of a yoke switch 21, the'two arms'of which are pivotally supported at their up per ends, between and in the plates 4 and 6, as shown at 22, the latter point being sub-- stantially in horizontal alinement with the pivot 7. The switch 21 is in operative proximity with two contacts 24; and 26 and canwbe swung on its pivot from one to the other. Aspring 27 is interposed between the bottom of the switch and the top of the guide rod 19.

The contacts 24 and 26 are-members of two different circuits, one of which I shall hereafter refer to as the arm raising circuit, and the other as the arm lowering cirraising circuit comprises the switch 31, the

the ground, or the modification shown in wire 33, the solenoid 11, the contact 26, the switch 21, the plates 4 and 6, the wire 34, the

battery 36, and ground connections between the battery 36 and the switch 31. The arm lowering circuit comprises the switch 32, the wire 37, the solenoid 12, the contact 24, the switch 21, the plates 4' and 6, the wire 34, the battery 36 and ground connections between the battery 36 and the switch 32.

' The part of my device thus far described works as follows: Referring to the right hand side and assuming that arm '9 1s to be raised, the switch 31 is closed. Since switch .21 is in contact with 26, the arm raising circuit is thereby closed, the solenoid 11 energized, the plunger 14 drawn upward into the solenoid 11, and the arm 9 raised on its pivot 7. This forces down the end 18 of the extension of the arm, whereby the guide 19 is pressed into the bottom of the switch 21, compressing the sprin 27, until the guide rod is alined with the pivot 7. At that time it-has passed the pivot of the switch 22, and the spring. has a tendency to force the bottom of the switch upward, which tendency increases as the end 18 of the extension travels further down, until it forces the switch upward into contact with '24, thereby breaking the contact 26, 'andopening the arm raising circuit, while closing one of the two gaps, in the arm lowering circuit, which may now be completely closed at any time by closing the switch at, ,32. In the meantime'the spring 27 holds the arm in its horizontal position, until its resistance is overcome by the operation of the arm lowering circuit. I

Various additions and modifications may be introduced into the'device thus far described without afiecting the operation of the same, as for instance .the introduction of tell-tale lights 38"into the 'arm raising circuit" by means of the wire 39 leading from.the contact 24 through the lights to i Figure 5, in which the outer ends of the tell-tale lights, 1 tacts24.

arms are dispensed with altogether as indicators and lights introduced instead, which may be connected in the same way as the that is, through the con The device thus' far described is operative manually altogether. To make it more efficient and to guard against possible neglect, on the part .of the driver, I equip mysystern also with an automatic switching de- .Vice 41 operated by the steering mechanism. This devicecomprises two concentric semicircular metallic arcs each. of which is divided into two sections by non-conducting blocks 42'and 43 so that in all they furnish four metallic contacts 46 and 47, 48 and 49. Over these arcs is suspended, pivotally supported in the center of the same and with freedom of rocking motion, a shaft 51, one end of which carries two oppositely arranged wiper springs 52 and 53, the two being radially spaced to 7 allow the former to be brought into wiping contact with the metal members 46 and 47 when the shaft is rocked one way, to the left, in Figure 3 of the draw ing, while' the latter may be broughtinto contact with 48 and '49 upon a rocking motion of the shaft in the opposite. direction.

A combined rocking and revolving motion may be imparted to the shaft by any element of the steering mechanism-as, for instance, the steering wheel rim if the device is supported near the steering wheel, or the drag link or the tie rod of the steering mechanism if the device is supported in the vicinity of the front axle. f In the perspective view of Fi ure 5 the element 54 ma be considered the tie rod of the steering;

The remote" end of the shaft being connected to a point of the tie rod 54 by, means of a link 56. should be dimensioned so that the overall lengthof the link 56 and the arm 57 exceeds the distance between the shaft 51- and the tie rod and should be sutficientlyfiexible to compensate for the difference in direction of-travel of thetie rod and the end of the shaft 51, the tie rod moving rectilinear-1y and the end of the shaft 51 moving on the arc of a circle. Since the latter are normally need 'not' exceed one-eighth of the 'circle, its departure from straight line is not sufiiciently pronounced that it could not be easily compensated for by a';loose connection between the link 56 and the arm 57 or by making the link 56 flexible.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that'if the tie rod, due to operation of the steering wheel, moves from a neutral position to. the left, as viewed in Figure 3, it will first rock the shaft 51- to bring the wiper-spring 52 in contact with the section 46 of the arc and then revolve the shaft51 The latter link so asto cause the wiper spring 52 to ride from left to right,

a similar manner..

43 altogether.

through wires 59, and 46 and 49 into the arm L lowering circuits through wires 61..

This automatic switch works in conjunction with the manually operated switch as follows: The wiring diagram of Figure 3 indicates the position of the various parts during a straight forward travel, both arms being lowered. The arm raising circuit is closed at the contact 26, and open at the manually operated switch 31 and the automatic switch, the two wipers of the latter being above the insulating blocks 42 and The arm lowering circuit is open at all three points. The driver intends to turn to the left. He closes the arm raising circuit at 31 (left side) which raises ,the arm, at the same time breaking the cir-' cuit at 26 and making a contact at 24. He then begins to turn his steering wheel to the left. This causes the steering gear member 54 to rock the shaft 51 clockwise, so as to bring the wiper 53 in firm contact with the inner ring at the contact 49, so as to be sure that the opposite arm is lowered. As

' the turn proceeds, the arm wipes the insulating block and then over the contact 48, thereby closing a contact in the arm raising circuit. But it will be remembered that the arm has been lifted already and the circuit been broken at 26, so that the closing of the contact at 48 is without any effect whatever, in this instance. Supposing, however, that the driver had failed to close the switch 31 before he began to turn then the closing of the contact at 48 would find the contact at 26 still closed and it would lift the arm.

Now we are in the position indicated in Figures 1 and 2. The next thing the driver will do in finishing his turn is to turn his wheel to the right, to straighten the course of theautomobile. The member 54, pulling on link 56 and through it on the'arm 57 in the opposite direction, now brings wiper 5 2 in contact with the contact 46, thereby closing the arm lowering circuit, its contact 24 having been closed during the raising of the arm. Thus the arm will be dropped automatically as soon as the steering wheel is set for going straight ahead.

In case the driver fails to make an intended turn, after having lifted the arm by' j closing the contact at 31, he may drop the arm by the manually operated switch 32.

A stop may be indicated by lifting .'both arms simultaneously. To provide against giving the stopping sign accidentally by the automatic switching device, the two insulating blocks should-be set so as to never allow the two wipers towork .both arm raising contacts at the same time or in very close succession. If they are arranged as indicated in the drawing,- it will be noticed that the automatic device can at no time close arm raisingcircuit before first actuating other arm lowering circuit.

an the I claim: I

1. In a device of the character described, two indicating signals, two circuits associated with each signal havin means incorporated therein for positive y actuating the signal in opposite senses and each signal having means associated therewith for opening its actuating circuit and closing the other circuit when rendered active, a switch for controlling the s i nals comprising a base having two paralle conducting contact ways each way being intercepted substantially intermediate its ends by a relatively short length of insulation, thereby dividing each way into two electrically separate segments, two electrically integral grounding contact fingers, one for eachway, means for mounting the fingers for sliding movement one respectivelyover each way and for selectively contacting the respective ways singly whenthe mounting means is moved in one or the other of two opposite senses, a conductor between each of said segments and one of the signal circuits, and other conductor means for completing the electrical circuits of the system.

2. A switch for an indicating device of the characterdescribed comprising a pivoted rod mounted forv rocklng motion having wiper arms extending in opposite dlrectlons and in radially spaced relation from one end thereof, two contact segments mounted underneath the said wiper arms allowing either wiper arm to contact its respective segment whenthe rod is rocked, an arm fixed to the other end of the rod and means engaging the free end of the arm for pulling the same to the right or to the left, the

arm being arranged to first rock the rod at thereof, two contact segments mounted :underneath the sald wiper arms allowing either wiper arm tocontactits respective segment when the rod is rocked, insulating blocks in each segment dividing the same in two sections and spaced circumferentially to correspond-to the circumferential spacing of the wiper arms so as to allow both wiper arms to remain inactive when disposed above the insulating blocks, an arm fixed to theother end of the ,rod and means engaging the free end of the arm for pulling the same to a the right or to the left, the arm being arranged to first rock the rod at the reversal of the pull so as to reverse the wiper arm contact.

4. A direction indicator of the character described comprising a pivoted indicating signal, two electro-magnets mounted on Op- 'posite sides thereof, a single plunger opereither direction when one or the other of the -d electro-magnets is rendered active, an extension of-the signal beyond its pivot and means associated therewith for automaticallybiasing the signal in either end position, the latter means having also means incorporated therein for; automatically renering the electro-magnet inactive after setting the signal.v

JOHN D. BROWER, JR.v 

